Chapter 1. Getting Started

In the Introduction, you learned about the .NET Framework and the origins of the C# language. Now it's time to start writing applications. The goal of this chapter is to install the software necessary to build and debug C# Web-based applications as well as stand-alone ones.

Even though the sample code throughout the book is presented in the context of Web applications, the focus of each sample is the C# language. You can certainly use the same code in the context of stand-alone console applications or stand-alone Windows Forms applications.

I am defining a stand-alone application as an .EXE that runs without the need of a Web browser. Microsoft Word is an example of a stand-alone application, but Microsoft Word is a native application rather than a .NET application.